Feed mechanism for heading-machines.



A. G. CAMPBELL & N. W. GUMMINS.

FEED MECHANISM FOR READING MACHINES.

' APBLIOATION FILED APR. 28, 1909-.

Patented May 31, 1910.

9 i IllllllllllIIIIII/IIIll/IIIIIIIIII/III/In INVENTURS W C C I ATTORNEYman 5 with a gate 6 that is adapted ANDREW C. CAMPBELL AND NORMANCCMMINS, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT,

ASSIGNOBS TO THE E. J. MANVILLE MACHINE COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CON-NECTICUT, A COBPOB ATION OF CONNECTICUT.

FEED MECHANIC]! FOR HEADING-MACHINES Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Application filed April 28, 1909. Serial N0. 492,732.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ANDREW C. CAMP- BELL and NORMAN W. OUMMINS,citizens of the United States, residing at Waterbury,

in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a newand use- Improvement in Feed Mechanism for Heading-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a feed mechanism for those machines in which,by means of a punch and die, small metallic pieces or blanks are upsetand headed, or punched, or trimmed, or re-headed. This feed mechan ismis designed to receive the blanks to be headed, re-headed or trimmed,and carry them laterally into accurate alinement with the axis of thedie opening and punch.

The object of this invent-ion is to provide a very sim le, easily 0erated,'and accurate feed mec anism, which will take the blanks from oneside of such a machine, and carry them inwardly and downwardly into thedesired position, the movements of the parts of the feed mechanism beingsuch that the fingers carrying the blanks, in their upper position movesubstantially horizontal, for a short distance, so that the blanks andfingers will clear the frame, and all mechanism mounted thereon, and intheir lower position move substantially vertical, for a short distance,so that the blanks will be carried into exact position and the fingerswill avoid the die and punch mechanism.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a feed mechanism whichembodies this invention applied to a simple t e of heading machine. Onlyso much 0 the general mechanism of this header is shown as is necessaryto illustrate the relation and action of the feed mechanism. Fig. 2shows, on larger'scale, aside elevation of the feed mechanism, and aportion of the machine frame. In this view the upper or receivingpositionof the feed mechanism is shown in full lines, and the lower ordelivery position is indicated by dotted lines.

Mounted transversely of the frame 1 of the machine illustrated, is themain shaft 2, which has the usual fly wheel 3 at one end, and, betweenthe sides of the frame, the crank 4. This crank is connected by a pittomove back and forth in ways? that extend along 'wardly from the side ofthe frame,

the inside walls of the sides of the frame. The gate carries a punch 8,which, as the shaft is rotated and the crank revolved, is reciprocatedtoward and from the die opening 9. The punch and die may be constructedin any common way and may have any desired conformation.

The feed mechanism which embodies the present invention, is capable ofreceiying blanks from anylcommon form of delivery mechanism, or from thehand of the oper ator. For simplicity, as the blank presenting mechanismforms no part of'the present invention, the feed mechanism isillustratedas receiving blanks passed to it by hand.

Supported by a bracket 10, projecting inis a short rocker shaft 11. Onone end of this rocker shaft IS an arm 12, which is connected by a hnk13, with a rocker arm 14 that is mounted on a rocker shaft 15. Thisshaft, which is supported by brackets 16, has a rocker arm 17 bearin aroll 18,. which is held in engagement with the cam 1.9 on the mainshaft. A spring 29 may be arranged be tween the arm 14 and the frame,for the purpose of keeping the roll 18 against. the cam 19.

Extending from the rocker shaft 11, is a rocker arm 20. A block 21 isswiveled to, or pivotally connected with, the upper end of this rockerarm. This block has a forwardly extending arm 22' carrying a pair ofspring fingers '23. Projecting backwardly from the block 21 is a rod 24.This-rod extends through and is free to'move longitudinally in anopening through the guiding block 25. This gulding block is swiveled inthe top of the bracket 26, that is attached to the top of the end of theframe of the machine. The axis of the swiveled guiding block 25 islocated directly over the axis of the unch and the die opening. Thelength of t e arm 20, from the axis of the rocker shaft 11- to the axisof the pivot of the block 21, isequal to the distance from the axisofthe rocker shaft 11 to the vertical lane passing through the axis ofthe swivel lock 25'and the punch and the die opening.

With this mechanism the pieces or blanks to be headed, re-headed, ortrimmed, are inserted, one at a time, horizontally, by hand, or anycommon mechanism, between the horizontally extending spring fingers.When the machine is in operation, the rocker arm 20 turns on the areindicated by the dotted line 27. As this arm moves-through this are, therod to which the spring fingers are connected reciprocateslongitudinally throu h the swivel block mounted on the fixed racket,which block at the same time turns on its axis, so that the rod with thespring fingers moves from the horizontal position shown in full lines,to the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This movementof these parts causes the fin-' ers to car the blank through the courseindicated by the dotted line 28, from the horizontal position, where thefingers receive the blank, to the vertical position between thepunch'and die. When the rocker arm moves upward the blank holdingfingers move through the same path, but of course in the reversedirection.

As the arm 20 starts when feeding a blank, from a vertical position, thedownward trend of the are is at first but little, consequently, forashort distance the first part of the movement of the fingers isractically horizontal. ,This carries the b ank so that it clears theframe and any mechanism mount- I ed thereon. As, during the last portionof its movement, the arm 20 is almost horizontal, and the rod andfingers are in a vertical position, the last part of the movement of thefingers and blank is ractically vertical. This action causes the ngersto bring the blank into accurate line with the punch and die and to snapoff from the blank after it has been grasped, without interference withthe die and punch or any of the o ratin mechanisms connected therewith.ith this organization, the arm 20 might stop more or less above or belowan exact horizontal position, in order to aline the blank horizontallywith the die, without carrying the blank materially out of the verticalplane which passes through the axis of the die. As a result of this, theblanks are fed accurately and are always passed properly to the die.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination in a feed mechanism for a header, of fingers adaptedto receive a blank, an oscillatory support for said fingers,

a swiveled guide for said fingers, and mechanism for oscillating the suport.

2. The combination in a eed mechanism for a header, of fingers adaptedto receive a blank, a rocker arm supporting said fingers, a pivotalconnection between the rocker arm and the fingers, a swiveled block forguiding the fingers, and means for oscillating the rocker arm.

3. The'combination in a feed mechanism for a header, of fingers adaptedto receive a blank, a rocker arm, a pivotal connection between therocker arm and the fingers, a block for guidin the fingers, a rotarysuport for said bloc and mechanism for oscilatin the rocker arm.

4. ie combination in a feed mechanism for a header, of spring fingersadapted to rcceive a blank, a block to which said spring fingers areconnected, a rocker arm, a plvotal connection between said block androcker arm, a rod connected with the finger block, a guiding block inwhich the rod has a longitudinal movement, a rotarysupport forsaidguiding block, and mechanism for oscillating the rocker arm 5. Incombination ina blank feed mechanism, a rocker arm, mechanism forrocking the arm, a fixed sup ort, fingers adapted to receive a blank, aswivel connection between fingers and the rocker arm, and a swivelconnection between the fingers and the fixed support.

6. A feed mechanism for a header, having fingers adapted to receiveblanks, an oscillatory support for said fingers, and a rotatory guidingsupport for said fin rs.

7. A feed mechanism for a headzr having fingers adapted to receiveblanks, an oscillatory support, mechanism for oscillating the support, apivotal connection between the fingers and said support, and means forswinging the fingers on the pivotal connection, as the support isoscillated.

Witnesses:

LAWRENCE L. LEWIS, J AMES CAFFREY.

